Shelter
by KBRC10
Summary: Entry for Castle Fanfic Monday: He didn't know her name, he didn't know her story but he wasn't about to leave her on the side of the road in the rain.
1. Chapter 1

**Entry for #CastleFanficMonday**

 **He didn't know her name, he didn't know her story but he wasn't about to leave her on the side of the road in the rain.**

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The pounding of the rain on the windscreen was doing nothing to improve his mood, four hours of sitting in meetings discussing how they were going to promote 'Death of a Prom Queen', well how his publisher would promote it and how he would stand there, look pretty and sign a few hundred books. All he wanted to do was get home and see Alexis, she always managed to put a smile on his face, then he remember Martha had booked them on a night away at a drama retreat and the pair wouldn't be home until late tomorrow evening. So it looked like it was dinner for one and an early night. Luckily the traffic was light going downtown but the pounding rain made it hard to drive at the speed limit without fear of not being able to see where you were going. The drive seemed to take much longer than usual, even playing with the radio did nothing to boosts his mood, eventually he gave up and turned it off, letting the sound of the rain be his only company.

He knew he was tired and it might just be his eyes deceiving him, but he was sure that there was a body lying on the sidewalk. At first he thought it was a homeless person but as the car drew closer he began to notice it was a woman, who looked in pain, her clothes were nice but in disarray. He stopped the car close by and got out to check. He was right, there lying in front of him shivering was a young woman, no older than 20 years old. Although her clothes were good makes they were ruined, her blouse was ripped on the sleeve and covered in dirt from the sidewalk. Her jeans were wet from the rain and ripped across the thighs as if she had skidded along the road. Castle quickly took off his coat and covered her up, she mumbled something but he couldn't work it out, her eyes were closed and her hair was strewn across her face. He scooped her up into his arms, noticing how pale she looked, she protested at the movement and yelped in pain as she was forced to arch in on her ribs in order for him to carry her. Castle was quick getting her into the car, trying to be as quick as possible to avoid the rain. He laid her down on the back seat and fastened both seat belts making sure she was secure before getting back into the driver's seat.

He knew he should take her to a hospital, but she needed help now, the nearest hospital was at least thirty minutes away and his apartment was only a few blocks away. He made a snap decision there and then, he would take care of her at the loft, at least until the rain died down a bit.

The drive back was a delicate balance between driving too slow and too fast. He was worried she might need urgent help, but then every time he picked up the speed the rain lashed down harder making it harder to see, and with every mile they covered he could hear the woman in the back whimpering in pain. Every few minutes he would glance back to check on her, she hadn't moved but each time she looked more like she was slipping into unconsciousness, taking the risk he added slightly more pressure on the gas pedal until they were outside his apartment block.

As fortune would have it the rain had eased off slightly by the time they made it back, so he managed to get the woman out of the car and into the lobby without them both getting soaked. The doorman gave him a funny look as to why he was carrying a woman in his arms, but he simply shrugged him off with a flippant explanation and handed over his car keys so he could go and park his car, before rushing towards the elevator and heading straight for the loft.

It was a bit of a struggle trying to balance holding a woman in pain and trying to fit the key into the front door, but after a bit of maneuvering he finally managed to push the door open. Once inside he kicked the door closed behind him and headed straight for the bedroom. As gently as he could he placed the woman down on the bed and took a step back to take in the image of her.

He could tell she was badly hurt and would need professional help, but with the weather still persisting to close roads he knew a doctor or even an ambulance would take a while. He watched as the woman continued to shake, before trying to move onto her side only to find that too painful and retreat back again. He moved to go to her but then realized he didn't know what he was doing. He saw a card poking out of her back pocket, very gently he took the card, scanning his eyes of the NYU logo and the writing in the middle:

" _Kate Beckett. Member of Russian Literacy Society. NYU"_

So she was called Kate Beckett and she was attending NYU and must enjoy Russian literacy, he gathered, well at least he knew what to call her now. For some reason he couldn't take his eyes off her, something about her was drawing him towards her, a connection he had never felt before.

He managed to lie her down on top of the sheets, brushing her brown matted locks away from her pale face. She looked as if she was just on the verge of consciousness, as if her mind was trying to stay alert but her body was forcing her to rest. Her body still shook slightly and he could hear her muttering something but he couldn't work out what. He went to the wardrobe and pulled out a blanket, draping it over her chilled body before sitting himself down in the chair at the side of the bed. He wracked his brain thinking of what to do in this situation, she clearly needed a hot shower and some fresh clothes, and some hot food and drinks, but right now he didn't have the heart to wake her. She was lay mostly on her back, her slim fingers curled around the corners of the blanket he had provided. He couldn't help but wonder how she had ended up there, miles away from the university, soaked to the bone and practically unconscious, he wanted to know her story but he wanted her to be safe even more.

With that he decided he couldn't just sit there, he couldn't leave her in soaking wet clothes and let her catch a cold. He went to the bathroom, grabbing three fresh towels before moving to his dresser and pulling out one of his t-shirts and jogging bottoms. He stood at the side of the bed thinking about the best way to do this without scaring her, he leaned in closer to her and gently moved some of the damp hair that clung to her face.

"Kate. My name is Richard Castle, I'm going to help you, you're in a bit of a mess and I need to get these wet clothes off you." He whispered, and she hummed in response, a throaty noise that he didn't understand if it meant she was OK with that or she wasn't. "Just lie still, I think you've hurt your side, so just let me do all the work OK?" he didn't get a response but decided to carry on.

He started with her boots and socks, then moved to remove her jeans, which clung to her legs because of the damp fabric. He tried to go as slowly as possible as to not jolt her fragile body, pooling the jeans at her ankles he delicately pulled them off her cold feet. Grabbing one of the towels he gently dried her legs, scanning his eyes over them to check for any cuts but luckily it seemed the jeans had protected her somewhat. He gather up the jogging bottoms and slipped them onto her, pulling them up her legs and over her hips. She didn't make a sound. Then Castle went to sit at the head of the bed and lifted Kate's limp body into a sitting position, supporting her with his chest he held the end of her t-shirt and lifted it up her back and down her arms, trying not to stretch her arms too much. It obviously didn't work as Kate seemed to protest slightly as her arms were pulled above her head and she whimper at the stretch in her arms. Once again he dried her off with another towel and helped her into his shirt, it was trickier than the pants and his heart broke when he heard her whimper in pain but at least now she was in some dry clothes. With the other towel he dabbed Kate's hair trying to get rid of some of the excess water, before wiping her face slightly and lying her back down onto the bed.

She appeared as peaceful as she could be in her state, her eyes still closed as she breathed softly. Moving her hair once again he noticed a small abrasion just above her eyebrow that was sure to bruise in the morning. Taking one end of the towels he dabbed the mark as gently as he could but he felt her wince in pain and mumble something but she still wasn't all together coherent.

He wondered what the hell he thought he was doing, she needed a doctor, a medical professional that knew exactly what they were doing, and not someone who had just picked her up off the street. To her he was a stranger, someone who had taken her to his apartment, undressed her and sat staring at her. At the time it hadn't seemed such a bad idea, but he wasn't sure she would see it that way.

He knew he needed to wake her, he needed to explain himself before he scared her. Settling himself on the side of the bed he took one of her cold hands in his, gently running his thumb across the back of her hand as if to draw her into consciousness.

"Kate can you hear me?" he whispered, feeling guilty for disturbing her slumber, "I need you to open your eyes for me" he continued, squeezing her hand slightly.

Kate moved slightly but still wasn't fully conscious, her head lulled to the side and she mumbled something that Castle couldn't understand. He tried again, repeating her name and pleading with her to open her eyes.

After a few more minutes he watched as she began to mumble something again, something he still couldn't comprehend completely but he took it as a sign that she was awake. He saw her eyes begin to twitch before fluttering open. He couldn't help the smile that beamed from his face once he knew she was awake, but that soon faded as he looked into her eyes. Large brown swirls stared back at his, her eyes wide and beginning to fill with tears as she finally woke up fully. Her terrified eyes burning into his piercing blue eyes.

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 **Part 1 of 3 the rest will be posted later this week.**

 **Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it, please let me know you thoughts, I value everything people say to me and really appreciate people taking the time to read, follow, favorite and review my stories.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Castle**

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Kate blinked her eyes open again, the light from the room burned into her pupils and distorted her vision as she tried to take in the scene around her. As her eyes adjusted she became more aware of a presence sat on the bed with her, a large body hovering over her that she didn't recognise. She instantly tried to lift her body into a sitting position, wriggling her hand from his grasp and pushing up towards the headboard. She felt the soft fabric brush past her thighs and realized she was no longer wearing her jeans and boots and instead was dressed in dark jogging pants and a large red t-shirt. Her heart began to race as the panic began to set into her bones, she watched eagerly as the man in front of her sat upright and raised his hands intent on showing her he meant her no harm.

"It OK, my name is Richard Castle, I found you on the side of the road" his words were awkward to her ears as she looked fearfully at him and backed away into the bed. "It's ok" he repeated, "you're safe here, I'm are going to help you, but you are in a bit of a mess right now, so just take it easy ok?"

"Where?" Kate began, her voice small and her throat dry, but she swallowed it down and carried on, "where are my clothes?" she asked timidly.

"They are right over there, I was going to put them in the wash, they were soaked, so I gave you some of mine for now" he explained.

"You took off my clothes?" Kate asked, the panic rising in her voice.

"No. Well yes, but I swear all I did was change your top and pants nothing else, I promise." He rambled.

Kate shifted in the bed slightly and recognized the familiar feeling of her underwear still in place, for now she believed he was telling the truth.

"Why am I here?" Kate asked, her need for answers becoming more obvious. The last thing she remembered was leaving the bar with her friends, she had been a little drunk but that was nothing new. She was sure she could remember making her way to the subway but then everything seemed a little mixed up.

"Well, you were on the sidewalk, I think you must have fallen or been knocked down I'm not sure, but I brought you back here and changed you out of your wet clothes. You can stay here until you are feeling better, with me, I'll look after you"

"Why did you bring me here? I don't know who the hell you are, why would I want you looking after me?" she exclaimed, her defenses rising as the stranger in front of her stiffened slightly.

"Well it was raining and the nearest hospital was a good half an hour away and" he sighed, "I guess I probably should I have taken you straight there. If you give me a minute I will grab my coat and take you to the nearest hospital"

The clash of thunder outside made Kate jump in surprise and cling to the bedding tighter. The rain began to lash down on the window as the wind howled outside. They weren't driving anywhere in that weather.

"Um, well we could wait until the rain holds off a bit" she suggested.

Castle breathed a sigh of relief at the knowledge that they wouldn't need to venture outside any time soon.

"Probably for the best" he agreed.

"What did you say your name was again?"

"Castle. Richard Castle. You might have heard of me, I'm a mystery novelist"

"Sorry" she shrugged, "I don't tend to read mystery books"

"Russian Literature more you style?"

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry, your NYU card, it said that you were a member"

Kate exhaled deeply, her breath coming out on a sharp stutter, he seemed to know so much about her for someone she had only just met. She was good at putting on the bravado when she controlled the situation, but right now, sitting in a strangers bed with no clue as to where she was or what had happened to her she couldn't help but feel scared. Kate felt the familiar prick of tear spike in her eyes, she hated crying but found herself unable to stop as the tears slowly rolled down her cold cheeks. She just wanted to get home.

"Kate, I understand this must be scary for you, but I promise I'm here to help you and as soon as I can I will take you wherever you want to go, be that the hospital or home, anywhere, I promise." Castle assured her, reaching out to take her hand and give it a slight squeeze.

Kate nodded, trying to put on a brave face. His piercing blue eyes were soft and gentle and looked at her with such concern that it was hard to believe he would harm her. Maybe he wasn't so bad after all.

"Kate, do you think you could eat something? I could make some soup." Castle asked nervously.

"Um, yes that would be nice thank you" Kate replied.

"OK well let's get you sat up then, and I'll be back in a few moments"

Castle went to link his arm under Kate's and helped her into a sitting position; she hissed as a stabbing pain spread through her side. Initially she had been too preoccupied with the stranger standing over her to notice the pain, but it made itself present again with another burning jab as she attempted to get comfortable.

"Ahh" she hissed as her ribs continued to protest at the movement.

"God Kate, I'm sorry are you OK?"

"Um-hum" she muttered through clenched teeth as she screwed her eyes shut and waited until the pain had passed.

"Kate you're not OK, tell me what I can do?" he pleaded.

"It just my side. It hurts to move, I think I've pulled a muscle or something"

"OK, just sit still for now, I have some heat packs that can be used so we could put one of them on and see if that helps, would that be alright?"

Kate nodded again unable to vocalise a response.

"I'll be right back" Castle said before racing to the bathroom and returning with a packed of deep heat. "Do you want me to help or?"

"I got it" she told him, reaching out to take the packs from him before the conversation became even more awkward.

"Right well I'll go and make you some food. I won't be too long"

Kate nodded and watched as he left the room. She scanned the room locating her clothes, at least she knew where they were and by all accounts he had been a true gentlemen and had taken care of her. Unwrapping the deep heat packet she gently placed in on her skin, feeling the warmth radiate through her side providing instant relief to her aching ribs. She ran her shaky fingers through her matted hair, trying to recall what exactly had happened. She remembered being in the club, that she was certain of, and she remembered a boy, mostly just a face and a checked shirt but no name. The vodka had been flowing from early on in the evening and by the time she came to step outside for some fresh air her mind had become a blur of drink and music. She remembered walking somewhere, or at least trying to, but couldn't remember exactly what for.

She opened her eyes again, letting them adjust to the brightness of the room. Her hands were still shaking, something she hadn't expected, she had been drunk before but this time something felt different. She stretched out her arms, checking for any permanent damage, it was only then she caught sight of the small bruise that was appearing around her wrist. She stroked her index finger over it gently, checking for any sign of pain or discomfort before rotating it slightly. Luckily it moved without too much resistance and she figured it was probably just bruised but with it being her right hand it was going to be a pain to work around.

Her mind was still trying to piece together exactly what had happened as Castle re-entered the room, carrying a tray containing hot soup, coffee and a glass of water.

"Hey" he greeted, "I hope tomato soup is ok?"

"Yeah that's fine. Thank you"

He smiled and placed the tray on her lap, before moving to sit in the chair at the side of the bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as she finished taking a large gulp of the water.

"I'm OK, everything is still a little fuzzy, and I don't remember how I got on the side of the road"

"Well I'm sure it will come back to you soon"

"Have you got my phone?" she asked after eating a few mouthfuls of the soup.

"Um, I haven't seen one. You didn't have a bag with you when I found you"

"Dam it" she grumbled.

"Did you have a bag with you?"

"Yes, it's got my phone, keys, and bank cards. Everything's in it" she moaned.

"I'm sorry, there was nothing there when I found you?"

"Great" she rolled her eyes, thinking of the hassle it would be getting those back.

"Maybe you left it somewhere when you were out, can you remember the place you were in?"

"I think it was called 'The Haunt' or something like that, it was this old place that we could get in, my friend knows a friend who works there"

"The Old Haunt?" he questioned.

"Yeah maybe, I don't remember properly"

"Make sense considered where I found you. I'll give them a ring and see if anyone handed anything in"

"Thanks Rick." She replied, as a smile began to spread across her face.

The soup was warm and welcoming as it flowed down her throat and warmed her from the inside. Once she had finished Rick took the tray away and returned to the bedroom with his mobile.

"Would you like to call someone? Let them know you are OK?"

She shook her head, "no thanks, there's no one to call"

Rick nodded in understanding, not wanting to push the issue any further.

"Well it's really late, so if you want you can stay here and I can drive you home in the morning if you like?"

"You wouldn't mind?"

"No not at all. The bathroom is right through there and the kitchen is just out there and to the left, if you need anything just give me a shout, I'll be upstairs" he told her and rose from his seat on the side of the bed.

"Rick wait" she asked quickly and he froze on the spot, "thank you, for doing this, and for finding me"

"Not a problem." He smiled. "I'll see you in the morning"

"Night Rick"

Rick smiled and left the bedroom as Kate slowly settled herself under the covers. Her mind began to wander as she ran through all the possible scenarios of what had happened to her, maybe she would never know, or maybe they would get lucky and find her phone. But then her thoughts turned to Castle, the man who had most probably saved her from waking up in middle of nowhere, with no phone, no money and no idea where the hell she was. She was lucky, extremely lucky that he had found her. What shocked her even more was that it wasn't just anyone that had found her it was Richard Castle, the famous mystery novelist whose books she had read countless times before slipping to sleep. Books that had calmed her nerves and allowed her to drift peacefully to sleep and dream of solving the crimes he created as she navigated the twists and turns of his stories, rather than her own messed up life.

She loved his books, just like her mother had done, but she wasn't about to tell him that. Not yet anyway.

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 **Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy where this short story is heading, only one more chapter to go. Let me know your thoughts**

 **Thanks H.**


	3. Chapter 3

After closing the bedroom door Castle retreated to his office to call The Old Haunt and see what he could find out about Kate. The fact that she had no idea how she had lost her bag or how she had ended up soaking wet on the sidewalk worried him immensely. Not only that but, the fact that he had simply picked her up and she hadn't wanted to run away screaming for someone to find her, or even wanted to call someone herself had bothered him even more.

Listening to the dial tone as he calls The Old Haunt he wonders, what exactly was he going to say to them. He could tell them that he knows her and is a concerned friend looking for her purse, or he could say that she dropped it and is looking for it, or he could tell them the truth. The truth that he found her on the side of the road, soaked to the bone, shivering and on the verge of passing out when he decided it would be a better idea to bring her to his loft rather than taking her to a hospital. He shook his head, it sounded even worse when he said it out loud.

The rough voice greeting him on the other end of the phone drew him from his thoughts and forced the words out of his mouth as he explained that he was a friend looking for his friend's purse. After giving a description of Kate and the tired bar man shouting to his other employees he finally discovered that her purse was nowhere to be seen. The only other chance of her getting it back was if they were to find it whilst they were cleaning up. However, that was not for another few good hours. After drawing a blank, Castle decided to leave it for now, hoping he would come up with something better when the morning came.

Retreating up to the guest bedroom he couldn't help but wonder if Kate would still be there in the morning, he wouldn't blame her if she waited until he had gone to bed and then grabbed her things and ran. In fact, he would actually understand if not expect it. A pretty girl wakes up with a man's clothes on, in the room of said stranger, not that much of a shock that she would run. Well, he was not exactly a stranger but his fame was irrelevant now and he doubted she even knew who he was. His writer's mind went wild with all the possible scenarios that would take place in the morning but he would just have to wait till the sun rose before he would know which choice of action she picked. Honestly, he hoped she stayed.

 _Her heart was beating faster than usual as she ran down the street, someone was chasing her, who- she did not know but she wasn't running fast enough and then suddenly she was on the ground, pain flaring through her ribs as she crashed onto the pavement. The mysterious figure above her stilled his movements over her before reaching his hands towards her, the same hands that had been hitting on her in the bar only moments ago as she twisted her body on the solid pavement in an attempt to get away._

She woke suddenly as her body jolted into a sitting position, her heart was still racing as sweat dripped from her forehead and her ribs screamed in protest at the abrupt movement. Her eyes scanned the room, her pupils trying to adjust to the light that was coming from the adjoining bathroom. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that she wasn't at home and instead was with Richard Castle, but he was nowhere to be seen. Glancing around the room again she began to take in the furniture that surrounded the room; large pieces mostly, with dark, bold colours that stood out in the unique bedroom. There was a bookshelf mounted on the wall, separating the bedroom from the office.

She knew it had been the nightmare that had woken her, the fear she had felt as she had ran from the bar and onto the cold streets of the city. In her dream someone had been chasing her, they'd thrown her to the ground and reached for her before she could stop them. Her mind flashed back to last night, the hands of the creep who had been hitting on her all evening at the bar. She hadn't been interested but he was persistent, intent on buying her drinks and offering her his number. She had refused; politely at first, but after thirty minutes of the guy she had had enough and told him straight. He hadn't taken it well and persisted to bother her. She remembered leaving the bar in a hurry, she wasn't even sure if she said buy to her friends, instead she had finished her drink as quickly as possible and ran out into the pouring rain praying the man wasn't following her. To preoccupied to look where she was going she remembered falling to the ground but after that everything had gone blank before waking up with her purse gone and her body aching. Running her fingers through her hair she tried to remember exactly how she had ended up on the floor, but after the stress of the day, a glass of wine or four didn't seem like such a bad idea; at least she wouldn't be as drunk as her father. Whenever she had experienced a nightmare before she would read, it also soothed her and let her drift off to sleep without having to worry about the nightmare returning. However, after selling most of her things in order to make some pocket money for college she was left with nothing to read.

 _He wouldn't think it rude_ , Kate thought to herself as she pried her body from the bedsheets, after all, he had taken her in and it wasn't like she was disturbing him. She quietly made her way to the bookcase, seeking out something that would spark her interest and send her to sleep. Her fingers trailed along the book spines before stopping on one book that she had set her heart on the moment it had been released; Richard Castle: Death of a Prom Queen, his most recent work after 'In Hail Of Bullets'. She had read 'In Hail of Bullets' purely by accident after forgetting to box it up with her mother's things, however she was hooked from the moment she started reading and had been a fan ever since. When she had heard of his new book being released she couldn't wait to read it, but at almost $40 there was no way she could spare that kind of money right now and had turned away from the bookstore with a heavy heart.

Tucking the book safely to her chest, she climbed back into bed and began reading, losing herself in the adventure and mystery that oozed from every page. Her first clue that she had lost herself in his writing was the cracking of the sun entering through the curtains, looking at the alarm clock she realised it was just after 5am and she should really be getting some sleep before he woke up. Too tired to put the book back now, she rested it on the bedside table, feeling disappointed that she would never get to finish it, but hopeful that she might one day.

It was late morning before Castle entered the bedroom to find Kate still sleeping, she looked so peaceful that he hated waking her. He wondered how she could sleep so peacefully after the events of the previous night but when he saw his book on the nightstand he realised why. She claimed not to be a fan, but the way the book was opened face down with what looked to be a third of the book already read, he knew she was definitely a fan. After placing the book back on the shelf he went to the kitchen to make some breakfast, pancakes were his speciality and he made quick work of mixing the batter and getting ready to serve.

Her footsteps surprised him as she emerged from the bedroom, still wearing his clothes and carrying her own in her hands. She'd pulled her hair into a loose ponytail and was looking fresher than the night before. He was glad she had stayed. Surprised, but happy. There was just something about her that drew him in. Maybe it was the way her eyes looked, like they hid a secret behind them or her posture in the way that she held herself close distrusting of her surroundings, afraid that if she let someone in, she would be giving them the power to break her heart.

"Good morning Kate" he greeted breaking the silence and effectively shutting up his rambling mind. He gestured for her to sit down as he fixed her a plate.

"Morning" she replied, still slightly nervous around him.

"How are you feeling this morning?" he asked, genuine concern colouring his face as he remembered the state she was in the previous evening.

"A little sore, but I'm feeling better. I hope you don't mind, but I used your shower to freshen up?"

"No not at all, come and sit down I've made some breakfast"

Kate made her way to one of the bar stools and gingerly sat down, cautious of the ache in her ribs.

"Wow Rick" she smirked, "pancakes?" she questioned, raising her eyebrows at him.

"Um, well they are kind of my speciality, and I thought you could do with a decent breakfast."

"Thanks, that's very kind of you, but I should really get going, I can get the tube back to mine in ten minutes"

"With your Russian Literature Membership Card?" he joked.

"Right" Kate sighed, remembering her pass was in her purse which was nowhere to be found.

"Its fine, I can drop you off, but at least stay for some breakfast first?"

She couldn't resist his boyish charm as she sat and made herself comfortable while waiting for Castle to serve the breakfast. It had been a long time since she had enjoyed a decent breakfast, with her dad usually sleeping until the late hours of the morning she usually spent that time cleaning up and doing any college work she was supposed to have done the night before. She liked the mornings, they were quiet and when the world was still sleeping and she was able to focus on herself. Breakfast usually consisted of two cups of coffee followed by a bear claw if she had time to call at the local coffee shop on her way to class.

"Here we are, two pancakes, maple syrup, sugar and lemon juice, whipped cream is just here and some fruit. Anything else you would like?" Castle asked, whilst presenting her with a delicious looking breakfast.

"Thanks Rick but I think I have plenty here"

"Great. So" Castle began, sitting himself on another bar stool and loading his fork with a large piece of pancake, "do you remember anything more from last night?"

"Um, not much. I have a feeling that I fell, my ankle kind of hurts a bit this morning so maybe I tripped or something. I had been drinking, so I guess I just wasn't as steady as I thought"

"I see. But when I found you, you seemed really hurt, Kate you were barely conscious" the concern in his voice was evident and Kate couldn't help but feel guilty.

"I don't know. I remember leaving the bar and heading to the subway, but the next thing I remember I was on the ground"

"Kate you don't think that someone…"

"No" she interrupted, "No I would know. Maybe someone tried to take my purse and I ended up on the wrong end of a shove and ended up falling." She could see the concern growing on his face as she tried to explain that right now in her life she couldn't let this affect her, "Castle, I know what you're thinking"

"Do you?"

"Yes. Young woman, on her own, no purse and unconscious on the side of the road. Look I want to know what happened just as much as you do, but at the same time there is no point in dwelling over it. I just want to move on, OK"

"Ok" Castle shrugged and stuffed another piece of pancake into his mouth, clearly not enjoying it as much as he was before.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, neither of them knowing where to take the conversation next, Kate thought about making a joke, but after seeing Rick push his food around his plate she thought better of it. Once they were finished, Castle tidied away the plates in the sink and retrieved his car keys.

"Are you sure you don't mind taking me home?" Kate asked, pulling her jacket around her shoulders.

"Of course not" he smiled, "just show me the way"

Castle drove them back to her apartment, it was still early and Kate prayed that her dad would still be asleep, or at least partially sober enough to let her get ready in peace for an hour or so. However driving around the corner she noticed the kitchen light was on which meant her dad was up and most likely looking for a drink. She sighed, louder than she meant to and Rick turned to her as he pulled the car to a stop.

"Everything OK, Kate?" he asked, looking between her face and her apartment, "is this the right place?"

"Yeah. Yeah this is me"

"You like here alone?"

"No. I live with my dad. He will be up now, I should probably get going"

"Kate, forgive me for sounding rude, but if your dad is there, why didn't you call him last night?"

"It's a long story. Short version is that it's complicated, but we're working on it." Castle continued to look at her, silently asking her to tell him more, "you're not going to stop until I tell you, are you?"

"I wasn't asking" he stated quickly.

"Yeah, you were not asking, very loudly" she mumbled. "The truth is Castle, my dad he, well he needs help. I've been helping him ever since my mom passed away, but the truth is last night I just had enough. I wanted to go out and blow off some stream. He does that every day and I'm the one who is there to help him, and I'm OK with that, I'm his daughter and I'm there to take care of him." She glanced down, playing with her fingertips, "but sometimes I just want to be his daughter again. I mean I know I'm no kid and I'm old enough to care of myself, of us, but it takes a toll on you, you know. I just wanted one night. One night for myself." She whispered.

"I'm sorry Kate, I didn't know"

She shook her head, "It's not your fault; I didn't tell you. I guess last night I just wanted a night away from everything. I was stupid and reckless."

"Not stupid. Human. Everyone needs an escape now and again" he reminded her.

"Yeah but if it hadn't been for you, God only knows what would have happened to me. My dad has already lost his wife, I don't think he would cope if he lost me. Hell, I doubt he is even coping " she reached over and took his hand gently, "you saved my life Rick. Thank you"

"Always" he smiled.

After thanking him for the lift she climbed out of the car and made her way up the stairs to her apartment, grabbing the spare key from underneath their mailbox on her way before letting herself into the apartment. Her dad was sitting in his armchair, staring at the blank TV screen. He didn't notice her slip in and stand near to him. She expected to see him holding a bottle of liquor in one hand and an image of her mother in the other, however this time he wasn't. Instead in one hand he grasped the image of her mother and father on their wedding day, and an AA meeting leaflet in the other. Her heart swelled at what that could mean, but she tried not to get her hopes up, they had talked about this before, she had even offered to go with him but he had refused claiming that he was fine. Clearly he was anything but _fine_.

"Katie" his voice was rough and dry like he had swallowed sandpaper.

"Hey dad" she greeted and knelt beside him.

"You didn't come home last night" he remarked, his voice softer than usual, and the lack of alcohol evident on his breath.

"I'm sorry dad, I got held up, but I'm home now. Are you OK?" she reached out and took his hand.

"I want to ring them." He said strongly, gripping the leaflet hard in his hand, "I want to get better"

A smile spread across her face, the five words that she had been waiting to hear for almost six months had finally been spoken. She didn't want to get her hopes up, her dad was still a long way from recovering, but for now it was enough.

She wasn't expecting any visitors so when the doorbell rang the next morning and so she made no attempt to rush to get it. Peeling herself from the couch, she made her way to the phone, answering it to find it was a delivery for her. After failing to convince the delivery person that they must have the wrong address as she hadn't ordered anything, she relented and unlocked the door for them to come up.

The parcel that the young delivery person handed her was small and rectangular shaped and quite heavy for its size. She lazily unwrapped the package, throwing away the brown paper in the recycle bin and sitting back down on the couch. There were two things in the package, one that she recognised immediately and another that still remained a mystery wrapped in grey tissue paper. The first thing she noticed was that her purse had been wrapped in the packaging. Her little black bag that still held her wallet, phone and keys, the bag looked slightly torn but all in all it was still usable. She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that she wouldn't have to deal with getting the locks changed and finding all her contacts again. Turning the package around, she couldn't find a card and still didn't know who the mystery sender was. Laying the bag at her side she carefully unwrapped the other package. She knew immediately what it was and a smile crept across her face as she held in her hand Richard Castle's newest book 'Death of a Prom Queen'. _He couldn't have known_ , she told herself, thinking about how convincing she had been when he had questioned her about his books. She opened the first page and there, sitting in the middle of the page, in thick black ink was a personal message to her;

 _Dear Kate_

 _Not that you're a fan_

 _Richard Castle_

* * *

 **So this is where the story ends for now. Thank you to everyone who has read, reviewed, followed and added this story to their favorites! I've really enjoyed writing this and hearing all your responses!**

 **I understand there is a slight timeline issue and the book used has been changed, This story started as a simple one shot based on a prompt from Tumblr and turned into so much more! So I'm sorry if it confused anyone, I do this for fun in my spare time so sorry if I got it wrong.**

 **Finally thank you to dawnswindow (aka Leah) for being my beta and for helping me with this final chapter!**


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